In a late-night press conference, an FBI official said they are “close to identification” of the suspect, and they have not identified the motive, though they called it an “assassination attempt.” I’m no expert, but that sounds like a motive to me.
The state Highway Patrol commissioner told reporters there is “no other existing threat out there” but could not confirm the shooter was a lone wolf.
“Everything unfolded very quickly,” he said when asked about reports that law enforcement was alerted to the shooter on the roof.
The FBI official said the agency had “no specific threat investigation” underway before the shooting.
When asked if it was a security failure, he said they are “not going to make that assessment” at this time.
Oddly, the Secret Service “was not available for the press conference at this time.”
Victoria Taft is writing up a thorough report of the presser. We’ll drop that in highlighted links as soon as it’s posted.